Father the Irrelevant Becomes Father the Underachieving

Abstract

By the time the 1970s arrived, America was undergoing some very basic shifts in its demographics. First and foremost, the birthrate—after the profusion of postwar baby boomers—continued its long-term downward trajectory and, in 1972, dipped below the replacement value of 2,100 children per 1,000 women. Given that the United States has stayed below the 2.1 (children per woman) figure ever since, this dip appears to be permanent.

I perceive affection makes a fool of any man too much the father.

Ben Jonson

There is no good father, that’s the rule. Don’t lay the blame on men but on the bond of paternity, which is rotten.

Jean-Paul Sartre